Selective forest thinning in the eastern Cascades supports both snowpack and wildfire resilience
As climate change nudges weather in the eastern Cascades in extreme and volatile directions, forest managers in the region have a lot to juggle. Hotter, drier summers are contributing to bigger and more frequent wildfires. Meanwhile, warmer winters may cause the Cascades to lose 50% of its annual snowpack over the next 70 years. Mountain snow supplies the Yakima River Basin with 75% of its water supply, making it a crucial reservoir for both nature and agriculture across a broad swath of central Washington. Less winter snow also leads to drier and more fire-prone forests in the summer.
To encourage fire resilience, forest ...